The 2020-21 campaign was a long and grueling season for the OKC Thunder and their fanbase, as they won just 22 games out of 72, missed out on the postseason for just the second time in 13 years, and finished with the fourth-worst record in the entire league.
However, even with all of this, the team still gave us a reason to tune in virtually every night.
Be it the ascension of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that ultimately turned into an All-Star snubbed campaign to the simple intrigue of how first-year head coach, Mark Daigneault, would fair, fans of the organization kept coming back despite the fact that the Thunder endured their worst season (win-percentage wise) in franchise history.
For us at TI, a big reason for intrigue this past season was due, in large, to the rookie class that Sam Presti managed to cultivate during the 2020 NBA Draft, which was headlined by the likes of the 7-0 wunderkind, Aleksej Pokuševski.
Coming into the illustrious night, the Serbian-born baller was viewed as a relative mystery to most ball clubs, but through 45 games played the baller wound up having quite a solid rookie campaign for the OKC Thunder.
While his per-game stats of 8.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and just shy of a block may not blow anyone away, it was his fluidity on the court and impressive, almost guard-like skill set that has people believing Oklahoma City may have found themselves a prospect with ridiculous potential outside of the lottery.
He flashed so much of said potential during year one, in fact, that the folks at the Bleacher Report believe if there were to be a re-do from the 2020 NBA Draft, Poku would land just outside of OKC’s reach, as they have him being chosen within the lottery this time around rather than at 17th.
With no Pokuševski available, one may question where the franchise would wind up going with their first-round pick. According to Jonathan Wasserman’s re-draft board, Presti would still find himself going for frontcourt help and, in turn, opt to take Israeli power forward, Deni Avdija.
In actuality, the four was taken ninth overall by the Washington Wizards.
Ultimately having his season cut short due to a right ankle fracture, through 54 games played the 20-year-old posted per-game averages of 6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 42 percent shooting from the field.
Despite his rookie struggles and shooting woes, Wasserman still believes Avidja showcased enough potential to intrigue front offices early on after the top-14 lottery section:
"A leg injury cut Avdija’s season short, while shooting concerns from Israel have carried over to the NBA. But he still showcased useful versatility with his ability to attack, pass and make a three-pointer per game. And he possesses the right unselfish, competitive character traits for a role player."
While the idea of bringing on last year’s former top-10 talent in Avdija seems like a solid hypothetical “backup” option, OKC Thunder fans should be happy that reality turned out the way it did.